Radiator cap remover



May 31, 1966 w. F. GROTE 3,253,485

RADIATOR CAP REMOVER Original Filed July 5, 1963 I N v E NTO 2 Wm. 7-52 E @EaT E United States Patent 3,253,485 RADIATOR CAP REMOVER Walter F. Grote, Madison, Ind., assignorto Grote Manufacturing Company, Madison, Ind., a corporation of Kentucky Original application July 5, 1963, Ser. No. 292,924, now Patent No. 3,186,263, dated June 1, 1965. Divided and this application Mar. 9, 1965, Ser. No. 438,218 2 Claims. (Cl. 813.1)

This is a division of S.N. 292,924 filed July 5, 1963, now Patent No. 3,186,263.

This invention relates to improvements in a tool for safely releasing, removing and replacing the cap of an automobile radiator.

Whenever a liquid cooled internal combustion engine operates under conditions leading to heating of the cooling liquid, it is possible for the liquid to reach its vaporizing temperature or even to be heated above the boiling point. In some cases the vapor builds up pressure sufliciently to eject a substantial quantity of liquid from the radiator if the radiator cap is removed before the pressure is vented. Even if the radiator cap is only loosened so that vapor may escape relatively slowly from the radiator, the vapor itself may well be above the boiling point of the liquid. In either case, the person releasing or removing the cap is in danger of being scalded or of being otherwise hurt in attempting to avoid ejected hot liquid or a cloud of vapor.

The present invention provides a simple tool for releasing and removing an automobile radiator cap with greatly reduced danger of the user being scalded by boil ing liquid escaping from the radiator or by hot vapor therefrom. Essentially the tool provides a resilient member forming a socket with pockets laterally therefrom for receiving an automotive radiator cap having ears extending therefrom, the resilient member providing an inner flange for gripping the cap and providing an outer skirt which can bear on the radiator around the cap for controlling the escape of hot vapor or liquid when the cap is released-but not yet removed. The skirt is flexible but of sufficient thickness to resist the action of considerable fluid pressure and is long enough to seal against the radiator shell when the member is seated on a radiator cap in place on the radiator. The skirt is capable of compression and, folding to allow venting of vapor on the side away from the user, without danger that vapor may escape on the compressed side of the skirt adjacent the user of the tool.

' In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fragment of an automotive type radiator with a cap to be removed, with the present tool shown as approaching the cap for engagement thereof.

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of a one-piece, entirely resilient tool, and

FIG. 3 is a cross section of the structure shown in FIG. 2 and taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawings by reference numerals, 15 generally designates an automobile radiator with a shell 16 in which is formed a filler neck 17 to be closed by a cap having a generally cylindrical portion 18 with two ears 19, extending diametrically therefrom. A common construction of the radiator cap 18, 19 is shown in FIG. 2 as having two diarnetric inwardly extending ears 20 to engage under an interrrupted outwardly extending flange of the radiator neck as is well known. A sealing member 24 is backed by a body 25 attached to the cap part 18 by a spring 26 and a pin 27 extends from the cap part 18 to limit compression of the spring 26.

Patented May 31, 1966 The cap top part 18, 19 seats in the socket and in the pockets of the tool to be now described, and the cap is held in its seated position in the tool by the resilience of a portion of the tool.

Referring now to the present tool, a resilient member generally is designated 33 and has a relatively heavy top portion from which extends a flange 34 to form a socket receiving the cap 18 and the flange is interrupted at two diametrically opposite points to provide pockets 35. The flange 34 extends downwardly and inwardly from the top of member 33 and defines an opening requiring slight expansion when the radiator cap passes through the opening. A flexible and compressible skirt 38 extends from the periphery of the socket member top portion 33 to a substantial distance below the flange 34, such skirt pressing around its entire periphery on the radiator shell when the tool is seated on the cap. The top portion 40 is made much heavier thanflanges 34 and is arched and is' substantially more rigid than other portions of the tool. The skirt 38 is thickened upwardly from 41 and tapers to the thin wall part 38 which may be radially compressed and folded against the radiator shell.

It is preferred that the tool be made of a material of a durometer of approximately sixty to assure adequate transmission of rotary pressure on the cap ears.

The present tool is used for safely removing a cap from an automotive radiator containing hot liquid which isforming hot vapor, or which may eject hot liquid and/or vapor when the cap is removed (and if the vapor pressure has not been previously vented to atmosphere). The tool is placed so that the cap ears enter the tool pockets and sufficient pressure is put on the tool to expand the tool flange and allow the top portion of the cap to slip inside the flange and seat against the end of the socket of the resilient member. The cap ears are then between the flange ends so that the cap may be rotated to release it from the neck of the radiator. After the cap is released from the radiator neck, the tool is tilted toward the user, so that the skirt is pressed on the radiator shell on the side of the neck toward the user, but is lifted slightly away from the radiator shell on the side of the neck away from the cally opposed ears and requiring to be rotated for its disconnection from the shell, said tool comprising a generally circular top portion constituting a handle and provided with a flexible annular marginal skirt, and a pair of materially less flexible segmental flanges extending downwardly from the handle within the skirt and having spaced ends adapted to receive the ears of the cap, each of the segments being provided with an inner face provided with an inwardly projecting arcuate lip axially spaced from said top portion by substantially the thickness of the cap to beremoved, the said lips being tapered in cross section both upwardly and downwardly and the segments being sufliciently flexible to permit the lips to be forced over the radiator cap when the ears of the cap are received between the ends of said segments, the skirt being of greater axial length than the segments for engagement with a radiator shell for confining hot fluids when the cap is released from the shell.

2. A tool acording to claim 1 in which the top portion, the skirt and the segments are integral, the skirt being thin in cross section and the segments being materially thicker near their top portions and connected near the top portion with the skirt and having outer surfaces connected with the skirt at a level above the respective lips and thence extending radially downwardly and inwardly and terminating in arcuate apices.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Ross 81-125 Cox 81125 Hibbard et al 81125 X OHara 8190 Miles et al. 8190 X Dardaine et al 81-3.4 X

10 WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

MILTON S. MEHR, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A TOOL FOR SAFELY REMOVING FROM A RADIATOR SHELL OR THE LIKE AN AUTOMOTIVE RADIATOR CAP HAVING DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED EARS AND REQUIRING TO BE ROTATED FOR ITS DISCONNECTION FROM THE SHELL, SAID TOOL COMPRISING A GENERALLY CIRCULAR TOP PORTION CONSTITUTING A HANDLE AND PROVIDED WITH A FLEXIBLE ANNULAR MARGINAL SKIRT, AND A PAIR OF MATERIALLY LESS FLEXIBLE SEGMENTAL FLANGES EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE HANDLE WITHIN THE SKIRT AND HAVING SPACED ENDS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE EARD OF THE CAP, EACH OF THE SEGMENTS BEING PROVIDED WITH AN INNER FACE PROVIDED WITH AN INWARDLY PROJECTING ARCUATE LIP AXIALLY SPACED FROM SAID TOP PORTION BY SUBSTANTIALLY THE THICKNESS OF THE CAP TO BE REMOVED, THE SAID LIPS BEING TAPERED IN CROSS SECTION BOTH UPWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY AND THE SEGMENTS BEING SUFFICIENTLY FLEXIBLE TO PERMIT THE LIPS TO BE FORCED OVER THE RADIATOR CAP WHEN THE EARS OF THE CAP ARE RECEIVED BETWEEN THE ENDS OF SAID SEGMENTS, THE SKIRT BEING OF GREATER AXIAL LENGTH THAN THE SEGMENTS FOR ENGAGING WITH A RADIAL SHELL FOR CONFINING HOT FLUIDS WHEN THE CAP IS RELEASED FROM THE SHELL. 